Damascus
8914
224771452
2008-07-10T10:14:52Z
85.219.6.39
/* Culture */
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name = Damascus
|native_name = دمشق
|nickname = (Al-Fayhaa) The Fragrant City
|motto =
|image_skyline = Damascus by night.JPG
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Damascus at night
|image_flag = Flag of Damascus.png
|image_seal = DamascusLogo.jpg
|seal_size = 63px
|image_map =
|map_caption =
|pushpin_map =Syria
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_mapsize =
|subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|subdivision_name = [[Syria]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Governorates of Syria|Governorates]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Damascus Governorate]]
|leader_title = [[Governor]]
|leader_name = Bishr Al Sabban
|established_title =
|established_date = 9000 B.C
|established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2 =
|established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3 =
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 573
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_land_sq_mi =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_sq_mi =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_urban_sq_mi =
|area_metro_km2 = 1200
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|population_as_of = 2007
|population_note =
|population_total = 1,669,000 (~6,500,000 metro. area)
|population_density_km2 =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_metro =
|population_density_metro_km2 =
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|population_urban =
|timezone = [[EET]]
|utc_offset = +2
|timezone_DST = [[EEST]]
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|latd=33 |latm=39 |lats=47 |latNS=N
|longd=36 |longm=17 |longs=31 |longEW=E
|elevation_m = 600
|elevation_ft =
|postal_code_type =
|postal_code =
|website = [http://www.edamascus.sy/ eDamascus]
|footnotes =
|blank_name =Demonym
|blank_info =Damascene
}}
'''Damascus''' ('''{{lang-ar|دمشق}}''', {{ArTranslit|Dimashq}}, also commonly known as '''الشام''' '''ash-Shām''') is the capital and largest city of [[Syria]]. It is one of [[List of oldest continuously inhabited cities|the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world]] (''see section: [[#Ancient history|Ancient history]]''), before [[Al Fayyum]], and [[Gaziantep]]. Its current population is estimated at about 1.67 million. The city is a [[governorate]] by itself, and the capital of the governorate of [[Rif Dimashq]] (Rural Damascus).
==Name==
In [[Arabic language|Arabic]], the city is called دمشق الشام ''Dimashq ash-Shām''. Although this is often shortened to either ''Dimashq'' or ''ash-Shām'' by many, the citizens of Damascus, and of Syria and some other Arab neighbors, colloquially call the city ''ash-Shām''. ''Ash-Shām'' is an Arabic term for [[north]] and for Syria. (Syria — particularly historical [[Greater Syria]] — is called ''Bilād ash-Shām'' — {{ArabDIN|بلاد الشام}}, 'land of the north' — in Arabic, or 'land of Shem (son of Noah)' — in Arabic, but with Shem being from the native Syriac language.) The [[etymology]] of the ancient name 'Damascus' is uncertain, but it is suspected to be pre-[[Semitic languages|Semitic]]. It is attested as ''{{transl|sem|Dimašqa}}'' in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]], ''{{transl|sem|T-ms-ḳw}}'' in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], ''{{transl|sem|Dammaśq}}'' ({{lang|arc|דמשק}}) in [[Aramaic language|Old Aramaic]] and ''Dammeśeq'' ({{lang|he|דמשק}}) in [[Biblical Hebrew language|Biblical Hebrew]]. The Assadian spelling is the earliest attestation, found in the [[Amarna letters]], from the 14th century BC. Later Aramaic spellings of the name often include an intrusive ''[[resh]]'' (letter ''r''), perhaps influenced by the root ''dr'', meaning 'dwelling'. Thus, the [[Qumran]]ic ''Darmeśeq'' ({{lang|arc|דרמשק}}), and ''Darmsûq'' ({{lang|syr|ܕܪܡܣܘܩ}}) in [[Syriac language|Syriac]].<ref>[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-097X%28198805%290%3A270%3C97%3AADAHSO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S (in Book Reviews) ''Ancient Damascus: A Historical Study of the Syrian City-State from Earliest Times Until Its Fall to the Assyrians in 732 B. C. E.'', Wayne T. Pitard. Review author: Paul E. Dion, ''Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research'', No. 270, Ancient Syria. (May, 1988), p. 98]</ref><ref>[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-097X%28197202%290%3A205%3C36%3ATSDTMB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-9 ''The Stele Dedicated to Melcarth by Ben-Hadad of Damascus'', Frank Moore Cross. ''Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research'', No. 205. (Feb., 1972), p. 40.]</ref>
==Geography==
[[Image:Damascus SPOT 1363.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Damascus seen from Spot satellite]]
Damascus lies about {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=on}} inland from the [[Mediterranean Sea]], sheltered by the [[Anti-Lebanon]] Mountains. It lies on a plateau {{convert|680|m|ft|spell=us}} above sea-level.
The old city of Damascus, enclosed by the city walls, lies on the south bank of the river [[Barada]]. To the south-east, north and north-east it is surrounded by suburban areas whose history stretches back to the Middle Ages: [[Midan]] in the south-west, [[Sarouja]] and [[Imara]] in the north and north-west. These districts originally arose on roads leading out of the city, near the tombs of religious figures. In the nineteenth century outlying villages developed on the slopes of [[Jabal Qasioun]], overlooking the city, already the site of the [[Salihiyye]] district centred around the important shrine of Sheikh [[Ibn Arabi|Muhi al-Din ibn Arabi]]. These new districts were initially settled by Kurdish soldiery and Muslim refugees from the European regions of the Ottoman Empire which had fallen under Christian rule Thus they were known as ''al-Akrad'' ''(the Kurds)'' and ''[[al-Muhajirin (district)|al-Muhajirin]]'' ''(the migrants)''. They lay two to three kilometres (2 mi) north of the old city.
From the late nineteenth century on, a modern administrative and commercial centre began to spring up to the west of the old city, around the Barada, centred on the area known as ''[[Marjeh Square|al-Marjeh]]'' or ''the meadow''. ''Al-Marjeh'' soon became the name of what was initially the central square of modern Damascus, with the city hall on it. The courts of justice, post office and railway station stood on higher ground slightly to the south. A Europeanised residential quarter soon began to be built on the road leading between al-Merjeh and [[Salihiyye]]. The commercial and administrative centre of the new city gradually shifted northwards slightly towards this area.
In the twentieth century, newer suburbs developed north of the Barada, and to some extent to the south, invading the Ghouta oasis. From 1955 the new district of [[Yarmouk (camp)|Yarmouk]] became a second home to thousands of Palestinian refugees. City planners preferred to preserve the Ghouta as far as possible, and in the later twentieth century some of the main areas of development were to the north, in the western Mezze district and most recently along the Barada valley in Dumar in the northwest and on the slopes of the mountains at Berze in the north-east. Poorer areas, often built without official approval, have mostly developed south of the main city.
Damascus is surrounded by an [[oasis]], the [[Ghouta]] region (الغوطة ''{{unicode|al-ġūṭä}}''), watered by the Barada. The Fijeh spring, west along the Barada valley, provides the city with drinking water. The Ghouta oasis has been decreasing in size with the rapid expansion of housing and industry in the city. It has also become polluted due to the city's traffic, industry, and sewage.
== Climate ==
Damascus' climate is semi arid, due to [[rain shadow effect]] of Anti-Lebanon mountain. Summers are hot with less humidity. Winters are cool and rainy or snowy. January Maximum & Minimum Temperatures are {{convert|11|C|F}} and {{convert|0|C|F}}, lowest ever recorded are {{convert|-13.5|C|F}}, The summer July and August Maximum & Minimum Temperature are {{convert|35|C|F}} and {{convert|17|C|F}}, Highest ever recorded are {{convert|45.5|C|F}}, Annual rainfall around 20 cm (8 in), occur from November to March.<ref name=Weatherbase>{{cite web
|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=8004&refer=&units=metric |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Damascus | publisher=Weatherbase | year=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-21 | language = English }}</ref>
<center><!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather
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|location = Damascus
|Jan_Hi_°F = 53 |Jan_Hi_°C = 11
|Feb_Hi_°F = 57 |Feb_Hi_°C = 13
|Mar_Hi_°F = 64 |Mar_Hi_°C = 17
|Apr_Hi_°F = 74 |Apr_Hi_°C = 23
|May_Hi_°F = 84 |May_Hi_°C = 28
|Jun_Hi_°F = 92 |Jun_Hi_°C = 33
|Jul_Hi_°F = 96 |Jul_Hi_°C = 35
|Aug_Hi_°F = 96 |Aug_Hi_°C = 35
|Sep_Hi_°F = 91 |Sep_Hi_°C = 32
|Oct_Hi_°F = 81 |Oct_Hi_°C = 27
|Nov_Hi_°F = 67 |Nov_Hi_°C = 19
|Dec_Hi_°F = 56 |Dec_Hi_°C = 13
|Year_Hi_°F = 62 |Year_Hi_°C = 24
|Jan_Lo_°F = 33 |Jan_Lo_°C = 0
|Feb_Lo_°F = 36 |Feb_Lo_°C = 2
|Mar_Lo_°F = 40 |Mar_Lo_°C = 4
|Apr_Lo_°F = 46 |Apr_Lo_°C = 7
|May_Lo_°F = 52 |May_Lo_°C = 11
|Jun_Lo_°F = 58 |Jun_Lo_°C = 14
|Jul_Lo_°F = 62 |Jul_Lo_°C = 16
|Aug_Lo_°F = 63 |Aug_Lo_°C = 17
|Sep_Lo_°F = 57 |Sep_Lo_°C = 13
|Oct_Lo_°F = 49 |Oct_Lo_°C = 9
|Nov_Lo_°F = 40 |Nov_Lo_°C = 4
|Dec_Lo_°F = 35 |Dec_Lo_°C = 1
|Year_Lo_°F = 48 |Year_Lo_°C = 8
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|Apr_Precip_inch = 0.5 |Apr_Precip_cm = 1 |Apr_Precip_mm =
|May_Precip_inch = 0.2 |May_Precip_cm = 0 |May_Precip_mm =
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|Dec_Precip_inch = 1.7 |Dec_Precip_cm = 4 |Dec_Precip_mm =
|Year_Precip_inch = 7.6 |Year_Precip_cm = 19 |Year_Precip_mm =
|source =Weatherbase<ref name=Weatherbase>{{cite web
|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=8004&refer=&units=metric |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Damascus | publisher=Weatherbase | year=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-21 | language = English }}</ref>
|accessdate = 2008
}}<!--Infobox ends--></center>
==History==
{{Infobox World Heritage Site
| WHS = Ancient City of Damascus
| infoboxwidth= 250px
| Image = [[Image:Syria - Damascus - Citadel.jpg|230px|Damascus at sunset]]
| State Party = {{SYR}}
| Type = Cultural
| Criteria = i, ii, iii, iv, vi
| ID = 20
| Region = [[Arab States]]
| Year = 1979
| Session = 3rd
}}
===Ancient history===
Excavations at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city have demonstrated that Damascus has been inhabited as early as 6,000 to 5,000 BC. It is due to this that Damascus is considered to be among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. However, Damascus is not documented as an important city until the coming of the [[Aramaeans]], Semitic nomads who arrived from the [[Arabian peninsula]]. It is known that it was the Aramaeans who first established the water distribution system of Damascus by constructing canals and tunnels which maximized the efficiency of the Barada river. The same network was later improved by the Romans and the Umayyads, and still forms the basis of the water system of the old part of Damascus today. It was mentioned in [[Genesis]] 14 as existing at the time of the [[Chedorlaomer|War of the Kings]].
According to the 1st century Jewish historian [[Flavius Josephus]] in his twenty-one volume ''Antiquities of the Jews'', Damascus (along with [[Trachonitis]]), was founded by [[Uz (son of Aram)|Uz]], the son of [[Aram, son of Shem|Aram]]. Elsewhere, he states:
<blockquote>[[Nicolaus of Damascus]], in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "[[Abraham]] reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans: but, after a long time, he got him up, and removed from that country also, with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but now the land of Judea, and this when his posterity were become a multitude; as to which posterity of his, we relate their history in another work. Now the name of Abraham is even still famous in the country of Damascus; and there is shown a village named from him, The Habitation of Abraham.</blockquote>
Damascus is designated as having been part of the ancient [[province]] of [[Amurru]] in the [[Hyksos]] Kingdom, from 1720 to 1570 BC. (MacMillan, pp. 30-31). Some of the earliest [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] records are from the 1350 BC [[Amarna letters]], when Damascus-(called ''Dimasqu'') was ruled by king [[Biryawaza]]. In 1100 BC, the city became the center of a powerful Aramaean state called [[Aram Damascus]]. The Kings of Aram Damascus were involved in many wars in the area against the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and the [[Israelites]]. One of the Kings, [[Ben-Hadad II]], fought [[Shalmaneser III]] at the [[Battle of Qarqar]]. The ruins of the Aramean town most probably lie under the eastern part of the old walled city. After [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] captured and destroyed the city in 732 BC, it lost its independence for hundreds of years, and it fell to the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] of [[Nebuchadrezzar II|Nebuchadnezzar]] starting in 572 BC. The Babylonian rule of the city came to an end in 538 BC when the Persians under [[Cyrus]] captured the city and made it the capital of the Persian province of Syria.
===Greco-Roman===
Damascus first came under western control with the giant campaign of [[Alexander the Great]] that swept through the near east. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Damascus became the site of a struggle between the [[Seleucid]] and [[Ptolemiac dynasty|Ptolemaic]] empires. The control of the city passed frequently from one empire to the other. [[Seleucus Nicator]], one of Alexander's generals, had made [[Antioch]] the capital of his vast empire, a decision that led Damascus' importance to decline compared with the newly founded Seleucid cities such as [[Latakia]] in the north.
In 64 BC, the [[ancient Rome|Roman]] general [[Pompey]] annexed the western part of Syria. The Romans occupied Damascus and subsequently incorporated it into the league of ten cities known as the [[Decapolis]] because it was considered such an important center of Greco-Roman culture. According to the [[New Testament]], [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] was on the road to Damascus when he received a vision, was struck blind and as a result converted to [[Christianity]]. In the year 37, [[Roman Emperor]] [[Caligula]] transferred Damascus into [[Nabataea]]n control by decree.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} The Nabataean king [[Aretas IV Philopatris]] ruled Damascus from his capital [[Petra]]. However, around the year 106, Nabataea was conquered by the Romans, and Damascus returned to Roman control.
Damascus became a metropolis by the beginning of the second century and in 222 it was upgraded to a ''colonia'' by the Emperor [[Septimius Severus]]. During the ''[[Pax Romana]]'', Damascus and the Roman province of Syria in general began to prosper. Damascus's importance as a caravan city was evident with the trade routes from southern [[Arabian peninsula|Arabia]], [[Palmyra]], [[Petra]], and the silk routes from China all converging on it. The city satisfied the Roman demands for eastern luxuries.
Little remains of the architecture of the Romans, but the town planning of the old city did have a lasting effect. The Roman architects brought together the Greek and Aramaean foundations of the city and fused them into a new layout measuring approximately {{convert|1500|m|ft|spell=us}} by {{convert|750|m|ft|spell=us}}, surrounded by a city wall. The city wall contained seven gates, but only the eastern gate (Bab Sharqi) remains from the Roman period. Roman Damascus lies mostly at depths of up to five meters (16.4 ft) below the modern city.
The old borough of [[Bab Tuma]] was developed at the end of the Roman/Byzantine era by the local [[Eastern Orthodox]] community. According to the [[Acts of the Apostles]], [[Saint Paul]] and [[Saint Thomas]] both lived in that neighborhood. [[Roman Catholic]] historians also consider [[Bab Tuma]] to be the birthplace of several [[Popes]] such as [[Pope John V|John V]] and [[Gregory III]].
===From the Muslim conquest to the Fatimids===
[[Image:Syria - Damascus - Ummayed Mosque Overview.jpg|thumb|Left|The [[Umayyad Mosque]]]]
[[Image:Alsayyida-Zaynab-Shrine-Dome.JPG|thumb|Right|Alsayyida Zaynab shrine dome]]
[[Conquest of Damascus|Damascus was conquered]] by the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] forces in 634 A.D. Immediately thereafter, the city's power and prestige reached its peak when it became the capital of the [[Umayyad Empire]], which extended from [[Spain]] to [[India]] from 661 to 750. In 744, the last Umayyad caliph, [[Marwan II]], moved the capital to [[Harran]] in the [[al Jazira, Mesopotamia|Jazira]],<ref>[[Hugh N. Kennedy|Hugh Kennedy]], ''The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates''</ref> and Damascus was never to regain the political prominence it had held in that period.
After the fall of the Umayyads and the establishment of the [[Abbasid]] caliphate in 750, Damascus was ruled from [[Baghdad]], although in 858 [[al-Mutawakkil]] briefly established his residence there with the intention of transferring his capital there from [[Samarra]]. However, he soon abandoned the idea. As the Abbasid caliphate declined, Damascus suffered from the prevailing instability, and came under the control of local dynasties. In 875 the ruler of Egypt, [[Ahmad ibn Tulun]], took the city, with Abbasid control being re-established only in 905. In 945 the [[Hamdanids]] took Damascus, and not long after it passed into the hands of [[Muhammad bin Tughj]], founder of the [[Ikhshidid]] dynasty. In 968 and again in 971 the city was briefly captured by the [[Qarmatians|Qaramita]].
===Fatimids, the Crusades and the Seljuks===
[[Image:Damascus citadel001.jpg|thumb|right|The statue of [[Saladin]] in front of Damascus citadel.]]
[[Image:Azem Palace.JPG|thumb|[[Azem Palace]].]]
In 970, the [[Fatimid]] Caliphs in [[Cairo]] gained control of Damascus. This was to usher in a turbulent period in the city's history, as the Berber troops who formed the backbone of the Fatimid forces became deeply unpopular among its citizens. The presence in Syria of the Qaramita and occasionally of Turkish military bands added to the constant pressure from the [[Bedouin]]. For a brief period from 978, Damascus was self-governing, under the leadership of a certain [[Qassam]] and protected by a citizen militia. However, the Ghouta was ravaged by the Bedouin and after a Turkish-led campaign the city once again surrendered to Fatimid rule. From 1029 to 1041 the Turkish military leader [[Anushtakin]] was governor of Damascus under the Fatimid caliph [[Ali az-Zahir|Al-Zahir]], and did much to restore the city's prosperity.
It appears that during this period the slow transformation of Damascus from a Graeco-Roman city layout - characterised by blocks of ''[[insulae]]'' — to a more familiar Islamic pattern took place: the grid of straight streets changed to a pattern of narrow streets, with most residents living inside ''harat'' closed off at night by heavy wooden gates to protect against criminals and the exactions of the soldiery.
[[Image:Damas-street.jpg|thumb|right|Damascus Walls]]
With the arrival of the [[Seljuk Turks]] in the late 11th century, Damascus again became the capital of independent states. It was ruled by a Seljuk dynasty from 1079 to 1104, and then by another Turkish dynasty - the [[Burid Dynasty|Burid Emirs]], who withstood a [[Siege of Damascus|siege of the city]] during the [[Second Crusade]] in 1148 . In 1154 Damascus was conquered from the Burids by the famous [[Zengid Dynasty|Zengid]] Atabeg [[Nur ad-Din]] of [[Aleppo]], the great foe of the [[Crusade]]rs. He made it his capital, and following his death, it was acquired by [[Saladin]], the ruler of Egypt, who also made it his capital. Saladin rebuilt the citadel, and it is reported that under his rule the suburbs were as extensive as the city itself. It is reported by [[Ibn Jubayr]] that during the time of Saladin, Damascus welcomed seekers of knowledge and industrious youth from around the world, who arrived for the sake of "undistracted study and seclusion" in Damascus' many colleges.
In the years following Saladin's death in 1193, there were frequent conflicts between different [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid sultans]] ruling in Damascus and Cairo. Damascus was the capital of independent Ayyubid rulers between 1193 and 1201, from 1218 to 1238, from 1239 to 1245, and from 1250 to 1260. At other times it was ruled by the Ayyubid rulers of Egypt. [[Damascus steel]] gained a legendary reputation among the [[Crusade]]rs, and patterned steel is still "damascened". The patterned Byzantine and Chinese silks available through Damascus, one of the Western termini of the [[Silk Road]], gave the English language "damask".
===Mamluk rule===
Ayyubid rule (and independence) came to an end with the Mongol invasion of Syria in 1260, and following the Mongol defeat at [[Battle of Ain Jalut|Ain Jalut]] in the same year, Damascus became a provincial capital of the [[Mamelukes|Mamluk Empire]], ruled from Egypt, following the Mongol withdrawal.
===Timurlane===
[[Image:Damascus Khan asad Pacha.JPG|thumb|right|Khan as'ad Pacha built in 1749]]
In 1400 [[Timur]], the [[Turco-Mongol]] conqueror, besieged Damascus. The Mamluk sultan dispatched a deputation from Cairo, including [[Ibn Khaldun]], who negotiated with him, but after their withdrawal he put the city to sack. The Umayyad Mosque was burnt and men and women taken into slavery. A huge number of the city's artisans were taken to Timur's capital at [[Samarkand]]. These were the luckier citizens: many were slaughtered and their heads piled up in a field outside the north-east corner of the walls, where a city square still bears the name ''burj al-ruus'', originally "the tower of heads".
Rebuilt, Damascus continued to serve as a Mamluk provincial capital until 1516 .
===The Ottoman conquest===
In early 1516, the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]], wary of the danger of an alliance between the Mamluks and the Persian [[Safavids]], started a campaign of conquest against the Mamluk sultanate. On [[21 September]], the Mamluk governor of Damascus fled the city, and on [[2 October]] the [[khutba]] in the Umayyad mosque was pronounced in the name of [[Selim I]]. The day after, the victorious sultan entered the city, staying for three months. On [[15 December]], he left Damascus by Bab al-Jabiya, intent on the conquest of Egypt. Little appeared to have changed in the city: one army had simply replaced another. However, on his return in October 1517, the sultan ordered the construction of a mosque, [[taqiyya]] and mausoleum at the shrine of Shaikh [[Ibn Arabi|Muhi al-Din ibn Arabi]] in Salihiyya. This was to be the first of Damascus' great Ottoman monuments.
The Ottomans remained for the next 400 years, except for a brief occupation by [[Ibrahim Pasha]] of [[Egypt]] from 1832 to 1840 . Because of its importance as the point of departure for one of the two great [[Hajj]] caravans to [[Mecca]], Damascus was treated with more attention by the [[Porte]] than its size might have warranted — for most of this period, [[Aleppo]] was more populous and commercially more important. In 1560 the Taqiyya al-Sulaimaniyya, a mosque and [[caravanserai|khan]] for pilgrims on the road to Mecca, was completed to a design by the famous Ottoman architect [[Sinan]], and soon afterwards a [[madrasa]] was built adjoining it.
[[Image:DamasChristianQuarter1860.jpg|thumb|The destroyed Christian quarter of Damascus, 1860.]]
Perhaps the most notorious incident of these centuries was the massacre of Christians in 1860, when fighting between [[Druze]] (most probably supported by foreign countries to weaken the economical power) and [[Maronites]] in [[Mount Lebanon]] spilled over into the city. Some thousands of Christians were killed, with many more being saved through the intervention of the Algerian exile [[Abd al-Qadir]] and his soldiers (three days after the massacre started), who brought them to safety in Abd al-Qadir's residence and the citadel. The Christian quarter of the old city (mostly inhabited by Catholics), including a number of churches, was burnt down. The Christian inhabitants of the notoriously poor and refractory Midan district outside the walls (mostly Orthodox) were, however, protected by their Muslim neighbours.
===Rise of Arab nationalism===
In the early years of the twentieth century, nationalist sentiment in Damascus, initially cultural in its interest, began to take a political colouring, largely in reaction to the [[turkicisation]] programme of the [[Committee of Union and Progress]] government established in Istanbul in 1908 . The hanging of a number of patriotic intellectuals by [[Jamal Pasha]], governor of Damascus, in Beirut and Damascus in 1915 and 1916 further stoked nationalist feeling, and in 1918, as the forces of the [[Arab Revolt]] and the [[British army]] approached, residents fired on the retreating Turkish troops.
===Modern===
[[Image:4ALHinDamascus.jpg|thumb|right|The Turkish Hospital in Damascus on [[1 October]] 1918, shortly after the entry of the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment.]]
[[Image:Damas en flamme.jpg|thumb|right|Damascus in flames as the result of the French air raid on October 18, 1925.]]
On [[1 October]] [[1918]], the forces of the [[Arab revolt]] led by [[Nuri as-Said]] entered Damascus. The same day, Australian soldiers from the 4th and 10th [[Light Horse]] Regiments reinforced with detachments from the British [[Yeomanry Mounted Division]] entered the city and accepted its surrender from the Turkish appointed Governor Emir Said (installed as Governor the previous afternoon by the retreating Turkish Commander)[http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_10555.asp][http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/3541/diana_bell.html]. A military government under [[Shukri Pasha]] was named. Other British forces including [[T. E. Lawrence]] followed later that day, and [[Faisal I of Iraq|Faisal ibn Hussein]] was proclaimed king of Syria. Political tension rose in November 1917, when the new [[Bolshevik]] government in [[Russia]] revealed the [[Sykes-Picot Agreement]] whereby Britain and France had arranged to partition the Arab east between them. A new Franco-British proclamation on 17 November promised the "complete and definitive freeing of the peoples so long oppressed by the Turks." The [[Syrian Congress]] in March adopted a democratic constitution. However, the [[Versailles Conference]] had granted [[France]] a [[League of Nations mandate|mandate]] over Syria, and in 1920 a French army commanded by the General [[Mariano Goybet]] crossed the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, defeated a small Syrian defensive expedition at the [[Battle of Maysalun]] and entered Damascus. The French made Damascus capital of their [[League of Nations]] Mandate of Syria.
When in 1925 the [[Druze revolt]] in the [[Hauran]] spread to Damascus, the French suppressed it brutally, bombing and shelling the city. The area of the old city between [[Al-Hamidiyah Souk|Souk al-Hamidiyya]] and Souk Midhat Pasha was burned to the ground, with many deaths, and has since then been known as ''al-Hariqa'' ("the fire"). The old city was surrounded with barbed wire to prevent rebels infiltrating from the Ghouta, and a new road was built outside the northern ramparts to facilitate the movement of armoured cars.
On [[21 June]] [[1941]], Damascus was captured from the [[Vichy French]] forces by the Allies during the [[Syria-Lebanon campaign]].
In 1945 the French once more bombed Damascus, but on this occasion British forces intervened and the French agreed to withdraw, thus leading to the full independence of Syria in 1946 . Damascus remained the capital.
== Prophecy concerning Damascus ==
[[Isaiah]] 17:1 in the [[Hebrew Bible]] states that Damascus will become a heap of ruins: ''"An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins."''
this is also stated in [[Jeremiah]] 49, [[Zechariah]] 9
== Historical sites ==
[[Image:Damascus-Ananias chapel.jpg|thumb|left|[[House of Saint Ananias]]]]
Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city's history. Since the city has been built up with every passing occupation, it has become almost impossible to excavate all the ruins of Damascus that lie up to {{convert|8|ft|m|}} below the modern level. The [[Citadel of Damascus]] is located in the northwest corner of the Old City. The ''[[Street Called Straight]]'' (referred to in the conversion of [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] in [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 9:11), also known as the ''[[Via Recta]]'', was the [[decumanus]] (East-West main street) of Roman Damascus, and extended for over {{convert|1500|m|ft|spell=us}}. Today, it consists of the street of Bab Sharqi and the Souk Medhat Pasha, a covered market. The [[Bab Sharqi]] street is filled with small shops and leads to the old Christian quarter of [[Bab Tuma]] (St. Thomas's Gate). Souk Medhat Pasha is also a main market in Damascus and was named after [[Ahmet Şefik Mithat Pasha|Medhat Pasha]], the Ottoman governor of Syria who renovated the Souk. At the end of the Bab Sharqi street, one reaches the [[House of Saint Ananias|House of Ananias]], an underground chapel that was the cellar of [[Ananias of Damascus|Ananias]]'s house.
[[Image:Sit-Zaynab-Shrine-Syria.JPG|thumb|right|Shrine of Zaynab bint Ali.]]
[[Image:Umayyad Mosque-Minaret of the Bride.jpg|thumb|right|The Minaret of the Bride, Umayyad Mosque in old Damascus.]]
The [[Umayyad Mosque]], also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, is one of the largest mosques in the world, and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of [[John the Baptist]]. The mausoleum where [[Saladin]] was buried is located in the gardens just outside the mosque.
A heavily visited site is the tomb of [[Zaynab bint Ali]]. Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims visit it every year.
===The walls and gates of Damascus===
The Old City of Damascus is surrounded by ramparts on the northern and eastern sides and part of the southern side. There are seven extant city gates, the oldest of which dates back to the Roman period. These are, clockwise from the north of the citadel:
*[[Bab al-Faraj (Damascus)|Bab al-Faraj]] ("the gate of deliverance"),
*[[Bab al-Faradis]] ("the gate of the orchards", or "of the paradise")
*[[Bab al-Salam]] ("the gate of peace"), all on the north boundary of the Old City
*[[Bab Tuma]] ("Touma" or "Thomas's Gate") in the north-east corner, leading into the Christian quarter of the same name,
*[[Bab Sharqi]] ("eastern gate") in the east wall, the only one to retain its Roman plan
*[[Bab Kisan]] in the south-east, from which tradition holds that Saint Paul made his escape from Damascus, lowered from the ramparts in a basket; this gate is now closed and a [[Saint Paul Chapel|chapel]] marking the event has been built into the structure,
*[[Bab al-Jabiya]] at the entrance to Souk Midhat Pasha, in the south-west.
Two other areas outside the walled city also bear the name "gate": [[Bab Mousalla]] and [[Bab Sreija]], both to the south-west of the walled city.
===Churches in the old city===
* [[Cathedral of Damascus]].
* Virgin Mary's Cathedral.
* [[House of Saint Ananias]].
* [[Chapel of Saint Paul]].
* The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Zaitoon (Olive) Alley.
* The Damascene Saint Johan church.
* Saint Paul's Laura.
* Saint Georgeus's sanctuary.
===Islamic sites in the old city===
* Shrine of [[Zaynab bint Ali]]
* Shrine of [[Sakina bint Husayn]] (Sayyidah Ruqayya Mosque)
* [[Bab Saghir]] cemetery
* [[Umayyad Mosque]].
* [[Saladin]] Shrine.
===Damascene schools===
* [[Al-Adiliyah School]].
* [[Az-Zahiriyah library|Al-Zahiriyah School]].
===Threats to the future of the old City===
Due to the rapid decline of the population of Old Damascus (between 1995-2005 more than 20,000 people moved out of the old city for more modern accommodation), a growing number of buildings are being abandoned or are falling into disrepair. In March 2007, the local government announced that it would be demolishing Old City buildings along a {{convert|1400|m|ft|sing=on|spell=us}} stretch of rampart walls as part of a redevelopment scheme. These factors resulted in the Old City being placed by the [[World Monuments Fund]] on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world. It is hoped that its inclusion on the list will draw more public awareness to these significant threats to the future of the historic Old City of Damascus.
====Current state of old Damascus ====
In spite of the recommendations of [[UNESCO]], World Heritage Center:[http://www.britishsyriansociety.org/dam2020/recommendations.asp]
* Souk El Atik a in protected buffer zone was destroyed in three days in November 2006;
* King Faysal Street, a traditional hand-craft region in a protected buffer zone, near the walls of Old Damascus between the Citadel and ''Bab Touma'', is menaced by a project of motorway.
* In 2007, the Old City of Damascus and notably the borough of [[Bab Tuma]] have been recognized by The World Monument Fund as one of the most endangered sites in the world.[http://www.worldmonumentswatch.org/]
==Subdivisions==
[[Image:damasroof.jpg|thumb|right|The ancient city of Damascus around the Omayyad Mosque]]
[[Image:Downtowndamas.jpg|thumb|right|Azmeh Square in downtown Damascus]]
Damascus is divided into many districts. Among them there are:
* Salhiyyeh
* Amara
* Midan
* Qanawat
* Baramkah
* Mazraa
* Mazzeh
* Muhajreen
* Shaghoor
* Tijara
* Abbasiyyin
* Bahsa
* Barzeh
* Abou Remaneh
* Sha'alan
* Malki
* Kafar Souseh
* Rukn Eddeen
* [[Sarouja]]
* Jobar
==Education==
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Damascus University.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Damascus University]] -->
Damascus is the main center of education in Syria. It is home to [[Damascus University]], which is the oldest and by far the largest university in Syria. After the enactment of legislation allowing private secondary institutions, several new universities were established in the city and in the surrounding area.
===Universities===
[[Image:Damascus-National-Museum.JPG|thumb|right|Damascus National Museum.]]
*[[Damascus University]]
*[[Syrian Virtual University]]
*[[International University for Science and Technology]]
*[[Higher Institute of Business Administration]] (HIBA)
*[[Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology]] (HIAST)
*[[Arab European University]]
*[[National Institute of Administration]]
==Transportation==
[[Image:Damascus-Hejaz station.jpg|thumb|right|Al-Hijaz Station]]
The main airport is [[Damascus International Airport]], approximately {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} away from the city center, with connections to many [[Asia]]n, [[Europe]], [[Africa]]n, and recently, [[South America]]n cities.
Streets in Damascus are often narrow, mostly in the older parts of the city, and speed bumps are widely used to limit the speed.
Public transport in Damascus depends extensively on [[minibuses]]. There are about one hundred lines that operate inside the city and some of them extend from the city center to nearby suburbs. There is no schedule for the lines, and due to the limited number of official [[bus stop]]s, buses will usually stop wherever a passenger needs to get on or off. The number of buses serving the same line is relatively high, which minimizes the waiting time. Lines are not numbered, rather they are given captions mostly indicating the two end points and possibly an important station along the line.
Al-Hijaz railway station, lies in the city center. Currently this station is closed, and railway connections with other cities take place in a suburb.
Since the early 1990s, there have been many plans to construct an underground system in Damascus, but no plan was taken seriously due to both financial and technical limitations.
==Culture==
===People===
[[Image:Damascusfashion.jpg|thumb|right|Three Damascene women; lady wearing qabqabs, a [[Druze]], and a peasant, 1873.]]The majority of the population in Damascus came as a result of [[rural-urban migration]]. It is believed that the local people of Damascus, called Damascene, are about 1.5 million. Damascus is considered by most people to be a very safe city. [[Haggling]] is common, especially in the traditional souks. Corruption is widespread, but in the past few years there have been aims at combating it, by both the government and non-governmental organizations. [[Tea]], [[Mate]] (popular caffeinated beverage made from Yerba mate), and [[Turkish Coffee]] are the most common beverages in Damascus.
===Religion===
The majority of Damascenes - about 75 % - are [[Sunni]] [[Muslims]]. It is believed that there are more than two thousand mosques in Damascus, the most famous one being the [[Umayyad Mosque]]. There are some [[Christian]] districts (about 15%), such as [[Bab Tuma]], [[Kassaa]], and Ghassani, with many [[churches]], most notably the ancient [[Chapel of Saint Paul]].
===Museums===
*[[National Museum of Damascus]]
*[[Azem Palace]]
*Military Museum
*Museum of Arabic Calligraphy
==Leisure activities==
[[Image:Damascus by night.JPG|thumb|right|Damascus by night, pictured from Jabal Qasioun; the green spots are [[minaret]]s]]
=== Parks and gardens===
Tishreen Park is by far the largest park in Damascus. It is home to the yearly held Damascus Flower Show. Other parks include Aljahiz, Al sibbki, Altijara and Alwahda.
[[Damascus oasis]] is also a popular destination for recreation.
===Cafe culture===
Cafes are popular meeting spots for Damascene, where [[Hookah|Arghilehs]] (water pipes) and popular beverages are served. [[Card game]]s, [[Tables (board game)|Tables]] ([[backgammon]] variants), and [[chess]] are common in these cafes.
===Sports===
Popular sports include [[football (soccer)|football]], [[basketball]], [[swimming]] and [[table tennis]]. Damascus is home to many sports clubs, such as:
*[[Al-Jaish (Syria)|Al Jaish]]
*[[Al-Wahda (Damascus)|Al Wahda]]
*[[Al Majd]]
*[[Barada]]
==Nearby attractions==
*[[Madaya, Syria|Madaya]]
==Born in Damascus==
*[[Nicolaus of Damascus]] (historian and philosopher)
*[[John of Damascus]] (676-749) Christian saint
*[[Ananias of Damascus|Ananias]] (Christian disciple involved in healing and preaching to [[Paul the Apostle]])
*[[Sophronius]] ([[Patriarch of Jerusalem]])
*[[Muna Wassef]] ( A [[Movie Star]], and a [[United Nations]] [[Goodwill ambassador]].)
*[[Damascius]] (Byzantine philosopher)
*[[Yasser Seirawan]] (chess player)
*[[Ahmed Kuftaro]] (former grand [[mufti]] of Syria)
*[[Ikram Antaki]] (Mexican writer)
*[[Ghada al-Samman]] (novelist)
*[[Nizar Qabbani]] (poet)
*[[Michel Aflaq]] (political thinker and co-founder of the [[Baath Party]])
*[[Salah al-Din al-Bitar]] (political thinker and co-founder of the [[Baath Party]])
*[[Constantin Zureiq]] (academic and Arab nationalist intellectual)
*[[Zakaria Tamer]] (writer)
*[[Aziz Al-Azmeh|Distinguished Professor Aziz Al-Azmeh]] (academic, PhD in Oriental Studies)
*[[Nazir Ismail]] (Artist)
== Town twinning (sister cities) ==
{|
| valign="top" |
* {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]]<ref>http://www.uaeinteract.com/russian/news/default.asp?ID=328</ref>
* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Athens]], [[Greece]] (1996)
* {{flagicon|Romania}} [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]]
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Florence]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Jordan}} [[Amman]], [[Jordan]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Spain]]<ref name="hermanamientos">[http://www.cordoba.es/portal/servlet/noxml?id=turcanaContenido%20M01164792238750~S45798~Ncooperacion_directa.pdf&mime=application/pdf La Cooperación Directa en el Ayuntamiento de Córdoba] - Córdoba City Council Web</ref>
* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Alexandria]], [[Egypt]]
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Paris]], [[France]]
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Rio De Janeiro]], [[Brazil]]
* {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
* {{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]]
* {{flagicon|Armenia}} [[Yerevan]], [[Armenia]]
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Milan]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Malaga]], [[Spain]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]
* {{flagicon|Lebanon}} [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]], [[Lebanon]] (1998)
* {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]
* {{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Rabat]], [[Morocco]] (1987)
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]]
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Toronto]], [[Canada]]
* {{flagicon|Yemen}} [[Sana'a]], [[Yemen]]
== Further reading ==
* Jill, Duchess of Hamilton, ''First to Damascus: The story of the Australian Light Horse and Lawrence of Arabia'' (2002) ISBN 0-7318-1071-6
* Yohanan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, "The MacMillan Bible Atlas", Revised Edition, (1968 & 1977 by Carta Ltd.).
== References ==
<references />
== External links ==
{{commons|Category:Damascus|Damascus}}
{{wiktionary|Damascus}}
===Maps===
*[http://www.syriantours.net/Maps/Cities/damascus_big.jpg Map of Downtown Damascus]
*[http://www.souria.com/ep/damascus.asp Interactive Map of Damascus]
*[http://www.lancers.org.au/site/Damascus.asp Map showing routes of advance on Damascus 1918]
{{Geolinks-cityscale|33.513|36.292}}
===Photography===
*[http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-27 The modern side] of Damascus, newer buildings, the traffic, streets, shops, smiling Syrians.
*[http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-59 The ancient side] of Damascus, hours spent walking through the famous old city.
*[http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-65 Discovering the colorful life] inside the Damascene souk.
*In and around the magnificent [http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-57 Umayyad Mosque.]
*Visiting the splendid [http://www.zeledi.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=topn&cat=-58 Azem Palace.]
*Many pictures of the [http://web.mac.com/dwb217/iWeb/WorldViewBender/Damascus.html Old City of Damascus] (along with some pictures of the newer parts of the city).
*[http://www.WHTour.org/20 Damascus World Heritage Site in panographies] - 360 degree interactive imaging
===Information===
*[http://www.damascus.org.sy/ Damascus: Capital of Arab Culture 2008]
*[http://saroujah.blogspot.com Syria News Wire: Named after the ancient Saroujah area of Damascus, this site has daily tales from the streets of Damascus]
*[http://www.syriahit.com/ Damascus Syria News]
*[http://www.damascus-online.com/ Damascus online]
*[http://www.ancientroute.com/cities/Damascus.htm Ancient Route history of Damascus]
*[http://www.shamakar.com/ Damascus Real Estate]
*[http://www.oldamascus.com/ Oldamascus.com], a web site devoted to the city
*[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198202/restoration.of.damascus.htm An article] about a large scale restoration project
*[http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_10555.asp Australian War Memorial]
*[http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=S8344 The World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch List Page about Old Damascus]
{{Governorates of Syria}}
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